The Hero Jason in Greek Mythology

Jason is one of the most famous of heroes in Greek mythology, and is arguably second only to Heracles, in terms of being the best known Greek hero today.

The story of Jason effectively begins in Thessaly where Aeson, Jason’s father, was prevented from being king of Iolcus by his half-brother Pelias. This act caused a prophecy to be made, a prophecy that stated that a family member, a descendent of his grandfather Aeolus, the king of the winds, would usurp him.

Pelias set about killing every descendent he could find, although he spared his brother after their mother, Tyro, pleaded with him. Aeson’s wife, Alcimede, was pregnant with a son, and to avoid him being put to death, Acimede and her attendants pretended that the child was still born. After a fake burial, the newborn was sent away into the care of the centaur Chiron on Mount Pelion.

The Argo - Konstantinos Volanakis (1837–1907) - PD-art-70

In Greek mythology Chiron trained many of the great Greek heroes, including Achilles, Asclepius, Theseus and Perseus, and he did likewise for Jason. Little is said in the Greek myths about this training, but when he was 20 years of age, he was told to make his way back to Iolcus.

In the meantime, Pelias, believing that he had circumvented the first prophecy, visited an oracle again. This time a new prophecy was made, warning the king to beware a man with one sandal.

Jason, on his journey from Mount Pelion to Iolcus, stopped to help an old woman to cross the river Anavros. Unbeknownst to Jason, this old woman was the goddess Hera, who was plotting her own revenge of King Pelias for his sacrilege in killing Sidero in one of the goddess’ temples. In helping the old woman across the river, Jason would lose one sandal, and he would have to travel on with one bare foot.

Iolcus was in the midst of a period of games, organised by King Pelias, when Jason arrived in the city. With so many prominent people from all over Greece his guests, King Pelias could not kill Jason as he wished, so instead set him the seemingly impossible task of retrieving the Golden Fleece. If Jason was successful, then Pelias would give up the throne.

Heroes from across Greece gathered to undertake the quest, and Jason was ultimately elected leader of the expedition to Colchis, and so onboard the Argo, Jason and his companions set sail. In the adventures of the Argonauts, Jason doesn’t come across as a great leader or exceptionally heroic.

Route of the Argo - Maris Stella - CC-BY-SA-4.0

On Lemnos, Jason and all bar Heracles are distracted by the local women. On Gegeines it is Heracles who does most to keep the quest on track, and in dealing with the Harpies that are torturing Phineas, it is the Boreads who deal with the threat of the bird-women. On the voyage to Colchis Jason also falls out with several of the Argonauts, and most notably, Jason has an argument with Telamon.

Even when Jason arrives at Colchis and the court of King Aeetes, the image of Jason is hardly improved; Jason is overwhelmed by the difficulty of tasks he is faced to take possession of the Golden Fleece. Ultimately it is only through the intervention of the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, and King Aeetes’ daughter Medea that Jason is successful.

Aphrodite ensures that Medea falls in love with Jason, and so it is Medea who tells Jason how to harness the fire-breathing oxen and plough the field, as well as providing him with ointment to protect him. It is also Medea who tells Jason how to defeat the Spartoi, who emerge from where the teeth of the dragon are sown. The final task of defeating the sleepless dragon is also undertaken with the aid of Medea, who provides a potion to finally put the dragon into a deep sleep, allowing for the easy removal of the Golden Fleece.

As Jason, Medea and the remaining Argonauts flee from Colchis, Jason is then involved in a decision which angers even Zeus himself. To delay the pursuing Cochian fleet, Medea and/or Jason kill Aeetes’ son, Apsyrtus, and dismembering the body, throw the body parts overboard, delaying the fleet as they slow to pick the parts up. On the return journey Jason has to seek atonement from Circe for the murder.

Jason with the Golden Fleece - Erasmus Quellinus II (1607–1678) - PD-art-70

The successful return of the Argo to Greece is primarily down to Medea and Orpheus, for Orpheus drowns out the sound of the Sirens to allow the ship to pass relatively safely, and Medea kills Talos, the guardian of Crete, to gain allow safe passage. On the journey back to Greece though, Jason and Medea are married.

So despite not being overly heroic, Jason has ultimately been successful, but it is not simply the gods’ wish that Pelias should just lose his throne, and Medea arranges for Pelias’ own daughter to kill their father. Even so Jason doesn’t become King of Iolcus, as Acatus, Pelias’ son takes possession and sends Medea and Jason into exile in Corinth.

In Greek mythology heroes rarely lived out their lives peacefully; Achilles was killed on the battlefield; Agamemnon was murdered on his return home; Bellerophon was crippled after trying to fly to the peak of Mount Olympus; Heracles was effectively killed by a poisoned cloak; and Theseus was thrown from a cliff. Jason was no exception to this pattern.

Medea and Jason were said to have spent ten happy years in Corinth, after being exiled from Icolus. Jason became father to two sons, Mermeros and Pheres, although some sources also name further offspring, Alcimenes, Thessalus, Tisandrus and Eriopos; Eriopis being the only daughter.

Jason seemingly became bored with being married to a barbarian princess, and so became engaged to the Corinthian princess, Glauce, daughter of King Creon. Jason perhaps did not intend to abandon Medea after the marriage, but Medea did not want to be kept as a mistress, and her anger rose. Angering a sorceress was not a wise course of action in Greek mythology, and Medea killed Glauce by means of a poisoned bridal robe, a robe that also killed Glauce’s father.

Mermeros and Pheres, Jason’s two sons were also killed; either directly at the hands of Medea, to cause the Greek hero additional pain, or at the hands of the Corinthians angered by the killing of their king and princess.

There are two versions about how Jason came to die. One version says that the hero was so distraught at the loss of his bride-to-be and children that he committed suicide. A second, more famous version, tells though of how Jason wandered from the palace at Corinth until he came to rest beneath the bow of the decaying Argo; whilst Jason lay in the shade part of the mystical boat, a piece fell off killing him.

Jason is regarded as a hero as he managed to complete a seemingly impossible task. His actions and demeanour though are not necessarily considered heroic, and if compared to Heracles, then Jason doesn’t appear to be a hero at all. Despite this, Jason is given the title of Greek hero, and his legend remains famous today.

Copyright - First Published 11th January 2014